Spontaneous Formation of Low Valence Copper on Red Phosphorus to Effectively Activate Molecular Oxygen for Advanced Oxidation Process.

Efficient spontaneous molecular oxygen (O2) activation is an important technology in advanced oxidation processes. Its activation under ambient conditions without using solar energy or electricity is a very interesting topic. Low valence copper (LVC) exhibits theoretical ultrahigh activity toward O2. However, LVC is difficult to prepare and suffers from poor stability. Here, we first report a novel method for the fabrication of LVC material (P-Cu) via the spontaneous reaction of red phosphorus (P) and Cu2+. Red P, a material with excellent electron donating ability and can directly reduce Cu2+ in solution to LVC via forming Cu-P bonds. With the aid of the Cu-P bond, LVC maintains an electron-rich state and can rapidly activate O2 to produce ·OH. By using air, the ·OH yield reaches a high value of 423 µmol g-1 h-1, which is higher than traditional photocatalytic and Fenton-like systems. Moreover, the property of P-Cu is superior to that of classical nano-zero-valent copper. This work first reports the concept of spontaneous formation of LVC and develops a novel avenue for efficient O2 activation under ambient conditions.

Downregulation of miR­146a promotes proliferation and migration of AOB­treated embryoid body via PDGFRA induction.

Antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) has been proven to have antioxidant activity and an inhibitory effect on free radicals that induce deterioration of macromolecules. The multi­target regulation of microRNAs (miRs) in the complicated process of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis lead to the use of miRNA therapy in vascular development. In the present study, the role of miRNAs on early embryo vascular development upon AOB stimulation was investigated. For this purpose, mouse embryonic stem cells were spontaneously differentiated as embryoid bodies (EBs) and were examined by phase contrast microscopy. miR­146a mimic and scramble control were transfected into EBs and potential targets of miR­146a were predicted. Cell proliferation and migration were detected by cell viability and wound­healing and migration assays, respectively. Angiogenesis was determined by the Spheroid sprouting assay. It was demonstrated that EBs transfected with miR­146a mimic had an increased growth rate compared with the control cells. miR­146a­transfected cells were very susceptible to AOB treatment. Furthermore, among the predicted miR­146a targets, platelet­derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) was identified as a bona fide target of miR­146a. In conclusion, PDGFRA was demonstrated to participate in the modulation of cell migration and proliferation of mouse EBs. The present study expanded the current understanding of AOB biology and elucidated the mechanisms underlying early embryo vascular development upon AOB stimulation.

Macrophage related cytokine expressions in depression mouse model induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Depression is characterized by mental retardation, interest blank, hypoactivity, anxiety, appetite loss, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorders and other symptoms. The incidence of depressed patients has demonstrated an upward trend in recent years. Antidepressant drugs are commonly used in modern medicine, but they have the side effect of drug resistance. This study aims to explore the effect of acupuncture stimulation on expressions of macrophage-related cytokines in mice with depression induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to explore the underlying immunological mechanism. The CUMS model was successfully developed. The secretion of nuclear transcription factor-kB (NF-kB) and interleukin (IL)-8 increased significantly in the modeling group compared with the blank control group (P<0.05). However, no significant difference of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentration was found (P>0.05). After acupuncture treatment, the behavior indicator was improved and meanwhile, the levels of TNF-α, NF-κB, IL-8 decreased significantly compared with the sham group (P<0.05). Depression mice were given treatment of acupuncture, and the effect of behavior change was observed and the content of macrophage cytokine production was measured, respectively. These findings suggested that inflammatory cytokines secreted by peritoneal macrophages increased significantly in mild depression mice, which can be improved by stimulation with acupuncture.